This invention relates to injection molding machines and relates, in particular, to methods and an apparatus for retrieving and packaging a plurality of molded articles produced continuously by a multi-cavity mold.
In prior art arrangements high volume molding of relatively small piece parts such as plastic flat ware, table cutlery or similar items are molded in large volumes using injection molding machines having capacity to produce as many as 25,000 piece parts per hour.
In these operations packaging is usually accomplished by sorting, orienting, stacking or nesting the product manually. Alternatively the articles are packaged in bulk in a random and unsorted manner.
While these procedures are useful and operative a considerable amount of labor is necessary if one elects to sort, stack or orient molded parts while keeping abreast of the molding production rate.
In the case of random, unsorted packaging the bulk or volume of the unsorted articles require as much as 30% more packaging material in comparison to packaging required to house the same member of sorted, stacked or oriented articles.
In addition, in cases where it is desirable to package molded articles aseptically in a sorted, stacked or oriented fashion it is very difficult if not impossible to sort manually without breeching the sterile integrity of the product.